Japanese Cooking Blog with Asako Nonaka #18
Asako Nonaka ◆ August 23, 2016
Some people live life happily, while others do gloomily. What is the difference between them?
I think it depends on whether you have self-esteem or not. Self-esteem enables you to recognize where you are and what you do, and have confidence in the decisions you make.
Life is full of constant choices. From the cradle to the grave, you have to make choices. Even a baby makes the choice to cry. Sometimes the decisions you have to make might be too hard and you might feel fear. If you have confidence in all the choices you make, you can go forward.
That way of thinking depends on how your parents or other adults treated you in your childhood. Children can attempt new things outside the home because they know that they have a safety zone at home. They know that their mother listens to them sympathetically and provides a sense of security. The repetition of trying new things gradually increases your self-confidence.
After childhood, you have to make your own self-confidence, but Rome was not built in a day. It’s important to keep trying little by little and bit by bit.
It is also true for the food you eat everyday. You eat three times in a day, 365 days a year. I would like you choose better food each time to make your body and mind healthy. If you haven’t made healthy choices up to now, it’s ok. You can start from today. Let’s improve little by little.
This time I will introduce a sticky side dish that uses mulukhiya, okra, and myoga (Japanese ginger.)
Recipe: Sticky Side Dish (Mulukhiya, Okra, Myoga (Japanese Ginger)
★ Ingredients
- a bunch of mulukhiya
- a pack of okra (about 10)
- a pack of myoga (about 3)
★ Directions
- Boil the okra and mulukhiya briefly in hot water. Discard the water and let the vegetables cool at room temperature.
- Put all ingredients into a food processor and mince them.
- Add a seasoning like soy sauce or mentsuyu (soba noodle soup) to your liking. Eat with rice, tofu, natto, or whatever you like.
The stickiness of these vegetables protects the mucus membrane of the stomach and intestine, which helps you recover from summer fatigue. Feel free to make and eat it for every meal.
